This patent application relates in general to the field of computing devices, and more particularly to a method and system for automating support for computers.
Personal computer systems have become increasingly common in businesses and households. Although the term xe2x80x9cpersonal computerxe2x80x9d implies a generic device, xe2x80x9cpersonal computersxe2x80x9d generally have a wide diversity of hardware and software components. For instance, different personal computers may have processors and buses of different speeds, hard drive and RAM memories of different sizes, and peripheral devices interfaced with different types of interface cards, such as audio devices. Further, a large array of manufacturers produce computer components so that in a given personal computer, even components having substantially similar operating characteristics may have important differences based on each component""s manufacturer specification.
With respect to software, generally all personal computers have a common need for an operating system that coordinates the operation of hardware components. However, each individual personal computer may have one of many possible operating systems. For instance, Microsoft products have evolved from its original Disk Operating System (xe2x80x9cDOSxe2x80x9d) to Windows systems, including Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows CE and Windows NT. In addition to these Microsoft operating systems, other types of operating systems are available, such as different versions of Unix, including Linux.
In addition to this wide diversity of operating systems, personal computers may operate a large number of different types of software applications. A given software application may interact in different manners with different operating systems. Thus, even with substantially similar hardware components, personal computers having different software may operate in substantially different manners.
Computer users can experience difficulties in system operation for many reasons. Lack of knowledge, hardware faults, software incompatibilities, and many other causes can lead to problems for the computer user. Given the wide range of hardware and software available (which implies an even greater range of hardware/software combinations that a user can experience), it is difficult to determine if the computer has a problem.
This situation is further complicated by the fact that personal computers do not have good mechanisms to automatically determine if the hardware/software system is having a problem. While certain operating systems contain code that help sense some types of problems with specific pieces of hardware, such mechanisms may be insufficiently uniform for determining if the operating system has a problem. Indeed, a common symptom of an operating system problem is a failure to boot, in which case the OS cannot be counted on to help. Another common symptom of an operating system problem is a hang, in which case the operating system becomes unresponsive to the keyboard and mouse for a wide variety of possible causes. It should be noted that this type of problem can be caused by pieces of software which have been installed on top of the operating system, such as an application or driver, or some incompatibility between pieces of software that have been loaded. A system that was operational may stop functioning at some later point due to software incompatibilities.
Another issue is the lack of a uniform mechanism for the user to invoke assistance. If the user has a question or the system has a problem, or at least the user perceives a problem, there is currently no uniform mechanism to get the system to attempt to provide assistance to the user. Although there are various types of help available to the user, they rely on one or more working input devices, such as a mouse and/or a keyboard, and a sufficient level of user knowledge to be able to navigate to one of a variety of information sources on the system and on a global information source such as the internet.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a method and system for identifying and resolving personal computer system problems that is accessible through a uniform fail-safe mechanism regardless of the functional state of the operating system and other software, and can be implemented on a wide variety of operating systems
A further need exists for a method and system that detects when an operating system has failed to boot or has hung and can take appropriate corrective actions.
A further need exists for such a system that includes a monitoring system that communicates with the operating system and vice versa, and that is capable of doing so with a wide variety of different operating systems.
A further need exists for such a standard mechanism that will attempt to resolve operating system hang conditions regardless of whether the assistance has been requested by the user during boot or otherwise, and regardless of whether the user has made multiple requests for assistance.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a method and system is provided that substantially eliminates or reduces disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed methods and systems for identifying computer system problems. A monitoring system detects problems with a computer system and aides in identifying and resolving the problems. The current level of functionality of the computer system is determined, and technical support is provided for the computer system in accordance with the functionality of the computer system.
For example, in one embodiment, a user initiates operating system monitoring by pressing a service button to indicate a problem with the computer system. The pressing of the service button initiates support functions, such as the initiation of a service application, at an appropriate time. The support functions allow testing of the computer system by the monitoring system. The service button initiates a watchdog timer that acts as a hang detection timer. An operating system hang-up error is identified if the hang detection timer remains uncleared after a predetermined hang detection time. Detection of a computer failure results in the system following a predetermined reboot protocol, such as that described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/377,726, which is incorporated herein by reference.
More specifically, in one embodiment a method for automated support is provided in a computer system having a service button and a controller chip set. The method includes the steps of pressing the service button, setting a first bit in a general purpose input register in the controller chip set to generate a first interrupt signal in response to the pressing step, receiving the first interrupt and determining whether the computer system is booting, and if the system is booting then initiating a service application routine in a first manner, or if the system is not booting then initiating a service application routine in a second manner.
A method is also provided for automated support of a computer system having a controller chip set including the steps of pressing a service button, setting a bit in a general purpose input register in the chip set, generating a first interrupt of a first type as a result of the bit being set, and initiating a service application in a manner dependent on whether the computer system is booting or not.
A computer system is also provided having a processor with at least one timer, a controller chip set, a system BIOS, and an operating system for communicating with components of the computer system through the BIOS. A service button is coupled with a general purpose input register in the chip set for setting the register for generating a first interrupt. The system further includes an interrupt handler that is coupled to the input register for receiving the first interrupt and processing it in a manner dependent on whether the computer system is in a booting state or a nonbooting state.
A computer system having a system BIOS and an operating system is also provided, wherein the computer system includes a service button coupled to a general purpose input register in a controller chip set for setting a bit in the register to generate a first interrupt signal. An interrupt handler in the system BIOS receives the first interrupt signal and initiates a second interrupt signal to the operating system to initiate a service application if the computer system is not in a booting state. If the computer is in a booting state the bit remains set, and code contained within the operating system checks the status of the bit later during the booting sequence and initiates the service application if the bit has been set.
The present invention provides many important technical advantages. One important technical advantage is integrated support for detecting problems associated with computer systems. One such advantage is a robust user interface that is simple and uncomplicated to use. For instance, a user with a question or problem simply pushes a single service button. Pressing the service button generates an interrupt directly into the chip set to alert the monitoring system that service is requested by the user. The direct interface of the service button to the chip set enhances reliability and simplicity, as the user""s input to the service button does not have to rely on the operation of computer components, such as a keyboard or mouse. Additionally, a user may press the service button at any time to seek assistance. The means by which pressing of the service button initiates a service application ensures that the service application will be run at the appropriate time, regardless of when the service button is pressed, and regardless of whether it is pressed multiple times. Further, the system and method of the present invention can be easily implemented with a variety of different operating systems.